Salient Motion

Head of Mechanical Engineering

Torrance, CA

Sponsorship not specified$220k-$250kDetected 29 days ago

Supply ChainSolidWorksCATIAThermal AnalysisStructural AnalysisGD&TMIL-STDDO-160Mechanical DesignAerospace EngineeringLeadershipCollaborationMentoringActuators

About the role

You will serve as the technical authority for all mechanical systems and be accountable for product integrity from concept through qualification and production.
Apply fatigue, margin of safety, and life analysis to qualify structural and dynamic hardware. - GD&T & Drawing Standards: Enforce ASME Y14.5 GD&T on all drawings.
Define team structure, role responsibilities, and technical development roadmaps. - Supply Chain Partnership: Work closely with contract manufacturers and suppliers to ensure hardware conformance.

Responsibilities

This is a senior leadership role that combines deep product expertise in electromechanical actuators with the organizational authority to set engineering direction, enforce aerospace standards, and build a high-performing team.
Engineering Authority: Serve as the final technical decision-maker for all mechanical designs. Review and approve engineering drawings, analyses, and design packages across the actuator product line.
Deep Product Ownership: Maintain comprehensive system-level knowledge of all actuator products including kinematic architecture, load paths, drivetrain design, thermal management, and qualification status.
Design Reviews: Lead formal design reviews (PDR, CDR, TRR) and ensure all mechanical work meets internal standards and applicable aerospace/defense requirements.
Technical Mentorship: Provide hands-on guidance to the mechanical engineering team, elevating design quality, analytical rigor, and engineering judgment across the group.
Electromechanical Actuator Design: Lead development of precision electromechanical actuators integrating motors, geartrains, lead screws, encoders, braking systems, and structural housings for flight and industrial applications.
Geartrain & Drivetrain Expertise: Apply deep knowledge of gear ratios, backlash control, lubrication, and AGMA standards to drivetrain design decisions.
Mechanism Integration: Own packaging and integration of actuator sub-systems including precision bearings, seals, thermal interfaces, and position feedback elements within tight volumetric and mass constraints.
Standards Compliance: Own mechanical compliance to applicable aerospace and defense standards including DO-160, MIL-STD-810, MIL-PRF-27369, and AS9100. Identify applicable requirements early and drive design-to-compliance from inception.
Qualification Strategy: Architect qualification and acceptance test programs including test equipment design, procedure development, and formal execution. Ensure traceability from requirements to test evidence.

Requirements

Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) to meet customer and regulatory requirements**
10+ years of experience in mechanical engineering, with at least 3 years in a technical leadership or senior engineering role.
Deep background in electromechanical actuator or precision mechanism development required.
Proven, hands-on design experience with electromechanical actuators-including motor integration, geartrains, output mechanisms, and position sensing-across the full product lifecycle.
Demonstrated working knowledge of DO-160, MIL-STD-810, and related standards.
Actuator Expertise: Proven, hands-on design experience with electromechanical actuators-including motor integration, geartrains, output mechanisms, and position sensing-across the full product lifecycle.
Structural Analysis: Proficiency in analytical methods for strength, fatigue, stiffness, and margin of safety.

Nice to have

Experience in flight hardware programs (UAV, launch vehicle, spacecraft, or crewed systems).
Familiarity with AS9100 quality management systems.
Experience qualifying hardware to MIL-PRF-27369 or similar actuation-specific standards.
Exposure to both fast-moving R&D environments and structured compliance-driven programs.
Prior experience at a small or scaling aerospace company.
What we have to offer:
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or closely related field.
Advanced degree a plus.

Skills

Identify and eliminate bottlenecks across the design-analyze-release cycle.
Identify capability gaps, emerging technologies, and strategic investments that keep Salient Motion ahead of the market.

Compensation

Life Insurance (2x Salary) 100% covered by the company
$220,000 to $250,000 base salary + equity

Benefits

Education: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or closely related field.
Exceptional healthcare benefits - Medical is 100% covered by the company
Flexible PTO, 401K, Financial Wellness Resources, and more

Company info

We are pioneering modular motion technologies to power the next generation of innovation for Industrial, Aerospace and Defense.
If you're excited about disrupting legacy industries, and passionate about building the financial infrastructure behind cutting-edge hardware, let's chat!
We are at the forefront of innovation, crafting exclusive motion control components that propel the industrial, aerospace, and defense sectors into the future.
A couple other things:
We offer a lot of autonomy
We like to run lean for impact
We have great benefits
We are well funded, and already generating revenue
We're currently in Torrance, CA, but will be moving into a new facility in Hawthorne, CA in the summer!
Lead by doing.
Take on design work alongside the team-own hardware, run analyses, and stay close to the product.
Set the standard through personal output, not just direction.
We are looking for a technically deep, hands-on Head of Mechanical Engineering to own our mechanical engineering function end-to-end.

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